During a report for Friday’s NBC Today, rural Wisconsin Trump supporters repeatedly frustrated attempts by political analyst Nicolle Wallace to get them to criticize President Trump. The flummoxed journalist noted: “On this farm, the President gets plenty of pasture, even for the controversial travel ban.”
Of Trump’s executive order on immigration, dairy farmer Brian Laplant argued: “Maybe he didn't handle it the right way. But is there ever going to be a right way to handle that? If it keeps us safe, maybe that's what we gotta do.” Wallace worried: “Do you think that's in line with our values as a country?” Laplant replied: “There's a small group of radicals that make everyone look bad. There's no good way of handling this.”
Wallace took a similar approach weeks earlier, when she scolded a Pennsylvania Trump voter for supporting the policy: “You don't think that's un-American?”
Turning to Laplant’s daughter, Wallace confessed: “I think a lot of people in the media, like me, that got this wrong, got it wrong because we thought that women would be offended by some of the things he said. Did any of the things he – ” Holly Laplant cut her off: “No, no. He's just a guy. I don't know how well you guys know Wisconsinites, but we're pretty brash people. You know, we drink beer, like the cold. I mean, we are just who we are. He – to me – he fits really well with us.”
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Wallace managed to find another farmer who was concerned “that this week's sweeping changes to immigration policy could hurt business.” She explained: “John Pagel also supports Donald Trump, but says his dairy can't survive without Hispanic immigrants....many of his employees are scared that they'll be deported...” However, she added that “he still supports the President.”
Back on the Laplant farm, Wallace pressed 22-year-old Holly: “What about the tweeting? Do you like that he tweets or do you think he gets himself in trouble?” Laplant was unfazed:
It's just his way. I don't know. He doesn't have to change who he was from previous just because he is now the president. Should he try to do things a little differently? Yes. But he doesn't have to completely change who he is. I mean, that kind of defeats the purpose of us voting for him in the first place.
Her father followed: “He's ruffling a lot of feathers, which is kind of what we were looking for. I don't know, people just need to give him a chance. We did that with Obama, we gave Obama him a chance. So now let's give this guy a chance.”
After the taped segment, Wallace tried to offer hope to Trump’s opponents: “I guess the heartening piece for his critics is that nothing is lost on him. None of his missteps are lost on these voters.”
Here is a full transcript of the February 24 report:
8:33 AM ET
MATT LAUER: Let's continue now with our ongoing series, In Trump They Trust. Nicolle Wallace has been hitting the road, visiting people who helped elect President Trump. Nicolle, good morning again, good to see you.
NICOLLE WALLACE: Good morning you guys, you can't get rid of me today.
LAUER: Happy to have you.
WALLACE: So President Trump was the first Republican to win Wisconsin since Ronald Reagan by appealing to life-long Democrats and while Hillary Clinton never visited that state that was supposed to be part of her so-called “blue wall.” We went back to the Badger State to find out how some of them are feeling about their vote now.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: In Trump They Trust; Supporters Speak Out One Month Into Presidency]
It's milking and feeding time at the Laplant family farm in Sturgeon Bay. And if you want to hear what they think about Donald Trump, be ready to help with the chores first.
HOLLY LAPLANT: They'll come to you. They know what time it is.
WALLACE: So why doesn't he ever say anything bad about Putin?
BRIAN LAPLANT: Maybe we need them in the long run to fight radical Islam. Better to have a few allies in that department than being all alone. We’ve done this alone for how long?
WALLACE: On this farm, the President gets plenty of pasture, even for the controversial travel ban.
LAPLANT: Maybe he didn't handle it the right way. But is there ever going to be a right way to handle that? If it keeps us safe, maybe that's what we gotta do.
WALLACE: Do you think that's in line with our values as a country?
LAPLANT: There's a small group of radicals that make everyone look bad. There's no good way of handling this.
WALLACE: But these aren't the opinions of a staunch Republican. Brian Laplant was a Democrat his entire life. Did you vote for Obama?
LAPLANT: Do I have to admit that?
WALLACE [LAUGHING]: I think you just did.
LAPLANT: I did. I did. I voted for him two times. I was – I thought – well, I was a Democrat. Well, now really I don't know what I really am.
WALLACE: He's still a farmer. Up every morning at 4 a.m. to milk his herd of 85 cows, a job that doesn't end until the sun goes down.
LAPLANT: You can't just quit this.
WALLACE: But Brian says leaving the Democratic Party was an easy choice.
LAPLANT: Well, we always thought the Democrat was for the working people. I don't think that's the case anymore, they forgot about us.
WALLACE: Hillary Clinton didn't even come here this year.
LAPLANT: Thinking it was a lock. The center of the country is where we work with our hands, we actually got our president this time around.
HOLLY LAPLANT: I mean, being a woman and supporting Trump, people are like, “Oh, my gosh, how can you? That’s terrible.”
WALLACE: Brian’s 22-year-old daughter Holly also helped break the Democrats hold on this family.
[TO HOLLY LAPLANT] I think a lot of people in the media, like me, that got this wrong, got it wrong because we thought that women would be offended by some of the things he said. Did any of the things he –
LAPLANT: No, no. He's just a guy. I don't know how well you guys know Wisconsinites, but we're pretty brash people. You know, we drink beer, like the cold. I mean, we are just who we are. He – to me – he fits really well with us.
BRIAN LAPLANT: He's a business man. And the country should be ran like a business and it hasn't been for a long time.
WALLACE: But some of Wisconsin's larger dairies worry that this week's sweeping changes to immigration policy could hurt business. John Pagel also supports Donald Trump, but says his dairy can't survive without Hispanic immigrants.
JOHN PAGEL: When everybody else is off for Christmas, somebody is still here working. The cows need to be milked everyday at the same time. They're filling the void of the jobs that a lot of other people don't want to do anyway. They love their work, they love to work. They make a good living and they send money back home for their families that need it. It's a big deal.
WALLACE: Pagel says many of his employees are scared that they'll be deported, but he still supports the President.
PAGEL: Let's fix the system so that they can fill the jobs that we need.
WALLACE: Back at the Laplant’s farm, Holly just finished two years of school and is hoping that one day she'll take over the farm from her dad.
HOLLY LAPLANT: I'm a farm girl, I don't want to move away.
WALLACE: She's also firm in her support for President Trump.
[TO LAPLANT] What about the tweeting? Do you like that he tweets or do you think he gets himself in trouble?
LAPLANT: It's just his way. I don't know. He doesn't have to change who he was from previous just because he is now the president. Should he try to do things a little differently? Yes. But he doesn't have to completely change who he is. I mean, that kind of defeats the purpose of us voting for him in the first place.
BRIAN LAPLANT: He's ruffling a lot of feathers, which is kind of what we were looking for. I don't know, people just need to give him a chance. We did that with Obama, we gave Obama him a chance. So now let's give this guy a chance.
WALLACE: What advice do you have for him?
LAPLANT: Think he’ll call me?
WALLACE: He might, you never know.
[LAUGHTER]
LAPLANT: Actually, that would be the greatest thing that could ever happen to agriculture, if we could get him on a small dairy. Have him come out, walk around with his boots on, like you.
WALLACE: Exit polls show that 63% of Wisconsin voters had a negative opinion of Donald Trump on Election Day, but 21% of those who viewed him unfavorably voted for him anyway.
LAUER: That's fascinating. Were those people hoping that Trump would come through for them or were they voting against Hillary Clinton?
WALLACE: Those people felt like someone was speaking to them for the first time. The thing that he said that just struck me, like struck a nerve for me, was when he said that people that work with their hands had been ignored for so long and he came out and was finally talking to them.
CARSON DALY: And it was the perception that it was Democrats that were, you know, hold them down on jobs and now they had that switch and they feel like Mr. Trump was the answer.
WALLACE: Yeah, and I guess the heartening piece for his critics is that nothing is lost on him. None of his missteps are lost on these voters.
LAUER: Nicolle, fascinating stuff. Thank you very much.
DALY: Thanks, Nicolle.
